Stefania Türr’s patriotic lens: “La Madre Italiana”, “Alle trincee d’Italia”, and “I soldati d’Italia”

In 1916, Stefania Türr founded the association Madri italiane a tutela degli orfani di guerra (Italian Mothers Protecting War Orphans) and the monthly journal La Madre Italiana. Rivista femminile pro orfani di guerra (The Italian Mother. Women’s Magazine pro War Orphans), published in Milan until 1919. From its inception, Türr wrote most of the articles. The small-format magazine quickly became popular and drew a distinguished readership including Queen Margherita. La Madre Italiana was not only a point of support for Italian mothers, who were invited to write to the magazine and have their opinions published, but also a tool for interventionist propaganda (i.e. propaganda in favour of Italy’s entry into the war). The magazine overturned female pietas, legitimising male violence in defence of the fatherland, and urged Italian women to take a stand and play an active role in the war. According to Türr, women should be like the mothers of Sparta in ancient Greece who sent their sons off to war with honour and pride. Thus, motherhood became a means of emancipation – being a mother meant participating actively in the war and in society.

Despite having an eleven years old son, in June 1917 Türr went on a 12 day trip to the front as a war correspondent for La Madre Italiana. She was accompanied by the journal’s secretary, Rina Cavallazzi. Her repeated requests to visit the front had initially been rejected by the Italian high command. Türr was driven by a desire to bring to the Italian soldiers in the trenches the greetings of their mothers, brides, wives and sisters, and to listen to the soldiers’ war stories (Alle trincee d’Italia, pp. 26-27). Through her visit to the trenches, Türr felt empowered as a woman. Her longing to fight in the war was strong. Before leaving for the front, she phantasised:

Türr’s account is geographically flawless and enriched with numerous photographs (reprinted with permission from the Italian High Command). A patriotic and interventionist vein is the lens through which Türr describes the war and life in the trenches. Türr often uses the word impressioni (impressions), which has a subjective connotation and implies emotional involvement. The linguistic choice indicates the author’s desire to tell not only what she saw at the front, but also the strong personal feelings that her war experience evoked.

I soldati d’Italia

In the summer of 1918, Stefania Türr published the children’s version of her war account: I soldati d’Italia. This book was written with a pedagogical and propagandistic intent. It explained the causes of the First World War and the development of the conflict with the aim of furthering patriotic education. Türr addressed the children in the first pages:

Türr uses the verb ricordate (remember) in the imperative form numerous times, inviting (or rather, commanding) the children to keep alive and pass on the memory of the achievements of the Italian soldiers in the war.

Like Alle trincee d’Italia, I soldati d’Italia reprinted photographs with permission from the Italian High Command. They depict the theatres of war, the king, and leading officers of the Italian army. Some photographs are identical with those reprinted in Alle trincee d’Italia. If the first book is a subjective war reportage, the second recites a patriotic fairy tale in which the brave Italian soldiers fight the “evil”. Türr aims to rouse the children to be proud of the Italian army, of Italy, and of being Italians.

Some chapters on the Italian theatres of war bear the same title in both books, although their content is different. However, the style, full of adjectives and words that express love for the fatherland and infinite admiration for the soldiers, is similar in both works. In the prefaces, Türr exclaims: “Long live Italy, long live the soldiers of Italy”. The last page of each book shows an advertisement for the journal La Madre Italiana.